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Team with Tucson native takes bronze Tucson native figures to win junior pairs title

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ST. PAUL, Minn. — Tucson native Chelsi Guillen and her partner Danny Curzon are one step closer to becoming national champions.

Thursday at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, the Scottsdale-based team won the junior pairs short program with 53.65 points.

"It's exciting for us. It feels great to be leading," Guillen said. She landed a throw triple toe, and the team also performed a double twist and side-by-side double axels.

"We feel really confident with that program so we knew if we skated well, we could be up there," Curzon said. "Tomorrow we are going out there to do our job."

The pair led 2007 bronze medalists Jessica Rose Paetsch and Jon Nuss of Colorado Springs, Colo., who scored 52.13 points.

Mirai Nagasu pulled off one of the biggest upsets ever at this event. In her first senior nationals — her very first competition as a senior — the teenager won the short program with a spectacular performance that showed amazing flexibility, strong jumps and a presence on the ice well beyond her years.

Her score of 70.23 would stack up against anyone in the world. She has a 12.65 lead on defending champion Kimmie Meissner, and it would be almost impossible for Meissner to beat Nagasu in Saturday's free skate.

About the only one with a real shot at catching Nagasu is Ashley Wagner, second with 65.15 points. Rachael Flatt was third with 62.91 points.

"It was just fun out there," Nagasu said. "I'm not going to let any of the pressure from being in first bother me."

Reigning junior world champ Caroline Zhang said she was not bothered by the expectations of her, but she did not live up to the hype with an uncharacteristically conservative program that put her in sixth place.

Being the favorite has not always been easy for Meissner. She finished fourth trying to defend her world title last year and has struggled since then. She had a disastrous outing at the Grand Prix final last month, finishing dead last in the six-woman field.

"I feel like I want to come back after the Grand Prix final. I don't even want to talk about that," she said.

Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto took a big step toward a record-tying fifth title Thursday night, winning the original dance. But Agosto was annoyed when he came off the ice, unhappy with himself for an obvious footwork error.

"You hate to end it on that note," he said.

Belbin and Agosto earned the highest score for the original dance, 64.29. With a total score of 106.15, they were almost three points ahead of training partners Meryl Davis and Charlie White. Kimberly Navarro and Brent Bommentre were a distant third with a 94.09 total.